Yes, I believe so, because a lot of people kill for religious reasons.

In many religious texts, it states that killing is "okay". Many people view this as an "okay" to kill, but they are actually reading it wrong. They are misinterpreting the text. For example, terrorists claim they are seceding themselves in aid of the holy war, but Muhammad would not agree with the killings of people. During the time in which the Koran was written, it was a time of war, and during that time, Muhammad agreed killing was okay to defend. But terrorists are killing for no obvious reason.

Yes, I believe there is a connection between religion and the human tendency to kill, because religious doctrine always addresses it.

I feel that there is a connection between religion and the human tendency to kill in more than one way. Some religions have rules that strictly oppose killing humans or other creatures. But for others, their religious beliefs cause them to kill in the name of their deities or gods.

The connection between religion and the human tendency to kill is obvious when you look at the number of deaths made in the name of god.

As long as this world contains multiple religions that each claim their god to be the one and only true god then each one of those religions will have a tendency to defend their god even by killing. Monotheism seems to lead to one thing, death. It creates an aura of self-righteous arrogance in many followers of each religion that in turn creates intolerance toward others who believe differently.

Yes, religion is an answer to fear of the unknown and that same fear is related to killing.

Humans are animals. We have to relate to the unknown of the world. Science provides some answers, but not all. Religion fills some of the holes in these unknowns, answering questions that otherwise have no answer. However, we are still animals at heart and killing for survival, self defense, and aggression is part of the human nature. Religion is also tied into creating differences in people that is used to justify violence.

Religion often justifies war and other killings, despite the Commandment to not kill.

Countless wars have been fought for religious purposes, continuing today with both Islamic and Christian fundamentalists promoting their cause as the one that God endorses. The Crusades, Northern Ireland, the Middle East, the Spanish Inquisition, the burning of witches, the list is long, very long. Religions all state that killing is wrong, but killing someone who is "other" seems to be quite all right.

I think religion is only an excuse used by extremists to justify murder.

I do not believe that the human race is predisposed to kill. I do, however, believe that certain individuals have psychopathic tenancies. Sometimes, these people who have no compassion for their fellow humans are exposed to unfortunate events, which mold them into murders. I think religion, much like money, is only used as an excuse by that type of person to justify a desire to kill.

the murderous aspects of human nature have nothing to do with superstition

religion is a vehicle for violence, it allow people to manipulate reason and justify their actions, but i know man would still kill even if the dizzying haze of religion was somehow lifted, though the fatalities would be signifigantly lower.

Humans do not generally kill because of religion, because those who do kill in the name of religion have lost sight of religion's nature.

While many people have been killed in the name of religion, there is not a correlation between a devotion to one's religion, and their willingness to kill. People are merely killing in the name of religion because they have lost true sight of the values that religion is trying to impose. Religion can certainly inspire great passion in people, but it is the particular individual who is crazy enough to kill his fellow man, and the religion is merely a reasoning to justify the killing.

No, I disagree that there is a connection between religion and the human tendency to kill, because each one teaches to forgive and forget.

There are many religions in the world. I am sure each one asks to forgive and forget. In events that are foreseen, and where there is a case of murder, I do not think that a religion would justify another killing. It is our interpretation of the scriptures that might be wrong.

There is no intrinsic connection between religion and killing, it's instead just a convenient excuse.

It is sloppy thinking to connect religion and killing. While religion has been cited as responsible for some murders and wars, non-religion (such as Stalinism and Leninism) has wiped out more people more brutally in the 20th century alone. Cultural or ethnic differences, as well as anger generated by living in extreme poverty, are more likely to be the real root of conflict than a religious belief is. Religion is a convenient excuse, but the evidence to connect it specifically as a direct cause of killing just isn't there.

I do not believe there is a direct connection between religion and the human tendency to kill because religion is an intellectual pursuit; the tendency to kill is more of a basal instinct.

It is true that humans have used religion as a reason to kill, and they continue to do so today. Religion involves strong belief systems. Because we are human, it also involves treachery and deceit in many (but not all) cases. In and of itself, however, religion cannot be blamed for the human tendency to kill. It merely gives people a reason to listen to their baser instincts - a cloak to hide their stronger emotions. The human instinct to kill was originally an extension of the fight-or-flight reflex. It had, and continues to have, no direct relationship to religion.

I disagree with the statement that religion has something to do with the human tendency to kill because humans kill anyway.

Most murders have nothing to do with one's religion or moral upbringing, nor do most modern wars. Modern wars kill more people annually than most historic wars in their entirety. And in many cases with historic wars, religion was just an excuse used to get people to go to war, for land or resources or something the church, which was very corrupt, wanted.

No, I think killing is frowned upon in most religions.

I don't think there is a connection between religion and killing. Moreover, I don't think there even is a human tendency to kill, as the question suggests. Although there has always been and will always be violent conflicts regarding religious differences, I don't think any religion supports killing. Anyone who claims that they are killing others because of a religious belief is being dishonest.

If there is a tendency for humans to kill, it's probably in the DNA or a brain dysfunction.

A particular religion may be seen as inciting killing to propagateitself or in defence of its peoples land, but few religions have murderousagendas. A worship of evil or passing comets may be called a "religion"by some, but Bibles and Korans, etc., do not promote murder; were this thecase the Earths population would have been zero before the 20th century.

I disagree with the fact that there is a connection between religion and the human tendency to kill because the bases of all major world religions is peace and love. It is when people alter these massages that you see any sort of connection.

Major world religions examine people's morals in order to secure a safe afterlife. One must choose a path of peace and love not violence or killing.